Weeks 4-6

Wow, I can't believe it's been three weeks since I've posted an update! For the first few weeks, everything in my life revolved around surgery and recovery. But all of a sudden, I was back to normal life.

As of week 4, I didn't have to wear my splint during the day anymore. I was so happy to finally be free! I also found out I was allowed to start chewing things, and now, week 6, I'm pretty much eating everything I used to. Some things I still have to cut up small, like for instance a cheeseburger, because I still can't open my mouth very far. My surgeon told me to do stretches three times a day to try to get my jaw opening up wide again.

I really don't have much to report other than that! Like I said, like is pretty much back to normal. I went back to work during week 4 and I've been cracking down on wedding preparations. Only about three months to go. :)

I'm scheduled to get these lovely arch bars off my teeth on July 8th, right before the 8 week mark. I don't have to wear my splint at all anymore as of today. Once the arch bars are off, I just need to get a few of my teeth sanded down a tiny bit so that my bite fits together better. My teeth aren't quite touching on the left side, but I can barely notice. My surgeon said that we can fix it either by sanding down a few teeth or getting Invisaline. Whatever is cheaper!

I still have some swelling, plus the arch bars pushing my lips out a tiny bit, but it could take months for the swelling to go down completely. Just waiting on the nerves in my chin and bottom lip, as well as my gums and the roof of my mouth, which I just recently noticed are also numb. Obviously not that big of a deal if it took me over a month to notice!

That's about it, here are my week 4 pictures! I didn't take any since then because nothing has really changed. :)

Days 14-18

Week three is well underway and I'm feeling great! I can't believe how fast my recovery is going and how great I'm feeling at this point. The biggest problem I've had is just anxiety when I try to go to sleep at night. I'm just ready to get back to normal life! But at least I'm progressing well and time is going by pretty quick. I have another appointment with Dr. Lanzi tomorrow and starting Thursday I get to take my splint out three times a day for two hours each time instead of one hour.

I've been doing great with eating (not surprised!). I've been eating a lot of Macaroni and Cheese, also potato soup, rice, mashed potatoes, eggs, and even broccoli! I could only eat the top part of the broccoli, but still, I was very happy! :) I'm not sure when I will be allowed to start chewing, but at this point I've figured out that I can eat anything that's cut small enough to swallow whole. You'd be surprised how many foods you can swallow whole! (Don't try it though, I don't want anyone to choke  on anything!!)

I've been much more active this past week since I've been getting my energy back. I've been driving places, chasing around kittens, playing frisbee in the yard, and yesterday I even hit the volleyball around with my brother for a good half hour. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be doing that but I think I'm good enough at volleyball that I know I won't get hit in the face just hitting the ball back and forth!

Here's my pictures and some highlights from my week!

Day 14: I'm not sure why I look so sad! Just wanted to do a non-smiling picture that day I guess! You can definitely tell I have more swelling on the left side of my face, but the swelling seems to be going down fast! Anyway, this was Thursday, and I went to watch my volleyball team's game. Afterwards, we all went out to eat, and everyone was quite amused watching me eat my Mac and Cheese! It was made with penne pasta so I had to cut each piece in half long-ways so I could swallow it easier. Needless to say, I hardly put a dent in my pasta by the time everyone else was done eating!

Day 15: Friday I had lots of visitors! My friend came over in the morning, and my cousins came over in the afternoon and stayed all day. After we talked for a little bit (while my splint was out), we went outside to play Frisbee and wound up finding a baby Blue Jay! It was more like a fledging, as it had all of it's feathers. We found him sitting on the ground, and we were worried that my cat would get to him, so we tried to teach him how to fly. We were throwing him off the deck and catching him on an outstretched blanket. He was doing pretty good, but wasn't quite flying away. We fed him some worms and water, and eventually put him back where we found him. My mom saw him sitting in a different part of the yard the following day, so hopefully he was doing good and has learned how to fly by now!

^These pictures really show how swollen my upper lip has been. It's not that bad, but it's definitely noticeable. I think the arch bars are also making my lips protrude a little more than they otherwise would.

Day 16: Saturday I slept in pretty late! Then Corey and I went to breakfast and did some shopping. We bought some things for the wedding, and got some gifts for my cousins' going away party, which is where we spent the rest of the evening. That's where I passed the volleyball around with my brother. This is also the day that I started to notice some feeling coming back in the left side of my lower lip! Yay! Still waiting on my chin and right cheek, though.

 Day 17: Sunday I went to church for the first time since surgery. Everyone was happy to see me. :) They've been praying for me, and I'm so grateful for all of their support! I wasn't feeling too great on Sunday (not because of surgery so much as mother nature) so it was a lazy day after that. I took a nap for an hour or so before lunch, then watched TV the rest of the day. In the evening, I played video games with my fiancé and my brother before bed.

 Day 18: Today! Monday! Woo! Everyone is at work, and my Daddy is with my Grandmom, so I'm all alone today! Pretty much for the first time since surgery. When I woke up, I took a shower, and then drove over to Alfred Angelo to order the last of my bridesmaids' dresses for the wedding. I can't wait until they all come in! After that I went to visit Corey for lunch. I had a Boost, my favorite. ;) I'm trying to stick with having a Boost for one of my three meals because I don't want to overeat when my body isn't used to taking in so many calories. I don't want to put all the weight I just lost back on. Hopefully I'll be allowed to go back to the gym soon so I can get toned up in addition to losing a little more body fat. What better time to get in shape than before my wedding, right?!

I almost forgot! Here are my babies, Milo and Remy! I love them so much <3